#AM_Equality Tip Sheet: September 12, 2016

IN TODAY’S EDITION: Tim Kaine celebrates LGBTQ progress at HRC National Dinner… Congressman John Lewis Delivers Stirring Call to Action… HRC President Chad Griffin shares what is at stake this election… Trans man appeals GA judge’s decision to not allow legal name change… Eat, Pray, (in) Love with her best friend… Marriage equality advocates march in Mexico… Anti-LGBTQ preacher sued for discrimination abroad…

AT HRC NATIONAL DINNER, DEMOCRATIC VEEP NOMINEE TIM KAINE RALLIES FOR LGBTQ EQUALITY, BLASTS TRUMP’S PANDERING: Addressing more than 3,600 LGBTQ advocates and allies at Saturday night’s HRC National Dinner, Vice Presidential nominee Senator Tim Kaine shared his devotion to LGBTQ equality and expressed optimism about future shifts from the Catholic Church. He also rebuked Donald Trump’s attempts to pander to the LGBTQ community and highlighted the stark contrasts between a Trump-Pence and Clinton-Kaine administration, pledging to prioritize the Equality Act,  expand access to crucial HIV and AIDS medications, and protect LGBTQ children from bullying and stigma. Watch Senator Kaine’s full speech here. More from ABC and NBC.

“November 8th isn’t just about where we’re going. It’s about who we are.”-@timkaine at @HRC‘s #NationalDinner pic.twitter.com/4kRujwLtUM

— HumanRightsCampaign (@HRC) September 11, 2016

CONGRESSMAN JOHN LEWIS CALLS FOR ‘GOOD TROUBLE’ ON ROAD TO EQUALITY: In a powerful speech, civil rights icon and Congressman John Lewis (D-Ga.), spoke to the audience as brothers and sisters in the fight for equality. Congressman Lewis called on the audience to do everything in its power to elect Hillary Clinton and defeat Donald Trump in November. “We must get out there in this election and vote like we’ve never voted before,” said Congressman Lewis, noting he has met President Kennedy and every president since and never before has there been a more dire threat to the country than that posed by Donald Trump. Watch his speech here.

THE PROMISE OF TOMORROW — HRC PRESIDENT CHAD GRIFFIN AT HRC’S NATIONAL DINNER: At HRC’s sold-out National Dinner, HRC President Chad Griffin discussed the power of the LGBTQ electorate and the historic need to protect and expand the gains made by the LGBTQ community in the next election: “[T]his fight is about more than just passing a law or electing a president. It is about ensuring a brighter tomorrow for future generations. From Stonewall to Laramie to Orlando, in the face of tragedy and persecution, our community has shown time and again that we are stronger than fear. Ours is a story of perseverance, of progress, and pride, and we are living proof of that distinctly American creed, that out of many, we are one.” Read the full speech here and watch here.

MONDAY MUST WATCH: This weekend’s 20th Annual HRC National Dinner was one for the history books, with speeches and performances from civil rights icons, loving parents of LGBTQ children, top models, star actresses, and Tony-award winning musicians. Relive the night by checking out HRC’s YouTube channel.

GROUNDBREAKING MAP SHOWS WHERE SAME-SEX COUPLES LIVE IN US: The New York Times reports this morning that a new research paper by the U.S. Treasury Department provides the most accurate information yet on where same-sex couples live – by using tax records of same-sex couples who filed jointly in 2014. Read more here.

GEORGIA TRANS ADVOCATES APPEAL FOR RIGHT TO CHANGE NAME: Andrew Baumert is the second trans man to have his request to legally change his name denied by Superior Court Judge David Roper — and is appealing the decision. The appeal details how the judge claimed he would have approved a “gender neutral” name, then rejected the names ‘Andrew’ or ‘Rowan.’ More from WRDW.

VIRGINIA  SCHOOL DISTRICT CONSIDERS POLICY TO BAR GENDER IDENTITY DISCRIMINATION: Prince William County is considering a policy that would ban discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. If passed, The Washington Post reports, the policy would forbid any discrimination against LGBTQ students and staff. Read more here.  

HRC MOURNS DEATH OF ALEXIS ARQUETTE: Transgender performer and sibling of Patricia and David Arquette died at 47. Read more about Arquette, who appeared in the film “Last Exit to Brooklyn,” here.

EAT, PRAY, & IN LOVE WITH HER BEST FRIEND: After author Elizabeth Gilbert announced that she’s in love with Rayya Elias, Chicago Tribune writer Heidi Stevens expresses her admiration for Gilbert and hope that her coming out helps others live out their truths as well.

MEXICANS MARCH TO SUPPORT MARRIAGE EQUALITY: Hundreds of supporters of LGBTQ rights march to Mexico City’s Metropolitan Cathedral. Read more here.

ANTI-LGBTQ PREACHER SUED FOR PROMOTING DISCRIMINATION IN UGANDA: The Ugandan LGBTQ civil rights group Sexual Minorities Uganda is suing anti-LGBTQ preacher Scott Lively  for crimes against humanity, including his efforts to criminalize  homosexuality in Uganda. His lawyer in the case is none other than extremist Mat Staver, head of the anti-LGBTQ Liberty Counsel. More from Pink News.

• South Africa may ban Steven L. Anderson of the Faithful Word Baptist Church (a known anti-LGBTQ group) from entering the country. More from Newsweek.

TANZANIA THREATENS TO BAN LGBTQ ORGANIZATIONS: Tanzania has threatened to ban groups supporting LGBTQ equality — claiming that the country wanted to “protect traditional values.” Same-sex sexual relationships are punishable by up to 30 years in prison under  Tanzanian law. More from Reuters.

READING RAINBOW

TimeOut New York profiles the openly-LGBTQ designers participating in New York Fashion Week… OutSports celebrates the rise in openly LGBTQ college athletes this school year…

Have news? Send us your news and tips at [email protected]. Click here to subscribe to A.M. Equality and follow @HRC for all the latest news. Thanks for reading!

www.hrc.org/blog/am-equality-tip-sheet-september-12-2016?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

You’re About To Become Very Addicted To Sex Robots, Scientist Warns

In the future, we’ll all be coming home to exasperatingly sexy robots who will compliantly bend to our every passing fancy. And since that sounds so great, an uptight sex therapist has come forward to a.) rain on all this speculative sexiness, and b.) warn us, in no uncertain terms, that we all run the risk of becoming very addicted to these hot-to-trot droids.

Related: WATCH: Helpful Robot Warns Masturbators About Approaching Intruders

As The Daily Star reports, a “top robotics expert” is warning that a new line of cyborgs developed to be superlative lovers will get us “hooked.”

“Robotic sex may become addictive,” said American Research Fellow and certifiable buzzkill Joel Snell from Kirkwood College.

Sexbots would always be available and could never say no, so addictions would be easy to feed.

People may become obsessed by their ever faithful, ever pleasing sex robot lovers.

“People will rearrange their lives to accommodate their addictions.”

These powerful robots are going to be far better at sex than you are, Dave. They won’t give sass (unless you hit the “sass” button) and won’t talk back unless you’ve programmed them to talk back . They’re going to be incredibly hot and you won’t be able to resist and you will get addicted. And that’s that.

“Robotic sex may become better than human sex,” Snell drones on. “Like many other technologies that have replaced human endeavors, robots could surpass human technique. Because they would be programmable, sexbots would meet each individual user’s needs.”

Related: WATCH: Chiseled Sex Robots From Hell Meet Barbra Streisand In Creepy/Hot Ad

But a “top sex therapist” named Gurpreet Singh wants Snell to stop bumming everyone out, and says these sex robots could be a good thing.

A very good thing, indeed.

“Who are we to judge people who want to have sex with robots?”

Let people enjoy sex robots – they will work in the same way couples introduce a toy into a sexual relationship.

“And if both parties agree, I see nothing wrong.”

Now all these people need to immediately stop talking unless they’re planning to tell us where we can get our hands on these goddamn addictive sexy robots.

Related: Woman Single-Handedly Spearheads Campaign To Protect Rights Of Sex Robots

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/IxQBY4IBZOs/youre-become-addicted-sex-robots-scientist-warns-20160912

PHOTOS: Why Play With Barbie When You Can Party At Club Ken?

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Donald Trump Says He Had Physical and Will Release Results, Says He Hopes Hillary Clinton Gets Well: WATCH

Donald Trump reacted to Hillary Clinton’s early exit from yesterday’s 9/11 Memorial Ceremony in lower Manhattan, telling the hosts of Fox & Friends, “Like you, I see what I see. The coughing fit was a week ago, so I assume that was pneumonia also. I think it would have been, so something’s going on. I just hope she gets well and gets back on the trail and we’ll be seeing her at the debate.”

.@realDonaldTrump on Hillary’s health: I hope she gets well, gets back on the trail & we’ll see her at the debate pic.twitter.com/1k8vXigpBv

— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) September 12, 2016

Trump also said that he had a physical last week and would release the results:

.@realDonaldTrump: I took a physical in the last week and I will release the results this week pic.twitter.com/ELJTdL4oEk

— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) September 12, 2016

Clinton has canceled plans to travel to the west coast on Monday in order to recover.

Donald Trump also appeared on CNBC’s Squawk Box, where the hosts asked about Clinton’s health but in a 30-minute interview, failed to ask even one question about the Trump Foundation and the Pam Bondi charity investigation.

Politico writes:

Clinton’s campaign points to several pieces of evidence. She has put forth a 9,000-word plan for defeating ISIS, for example, while Trump says only that he has a plan but it must keep secret. Brooklyn argues that the media has spent more than a year producing critical coverage of Clinton’s use of a private email server and Clinton Foundation donations despite several official investigations turning up no hard evidence of corruption; meanwhile, news organizations are under-covering Trump’s $25,000 donation to Florida’s attorney general and the AG’s subsequent closing of an investigation into fraud claims against Trump University, for which he was fined by the IRS.

Over the weekend, Clinton found herself under fire for describing half of Trump’s supporters as a “basket of deplorables” even as charges of racism and misogyny among some Trump supporters have been substantiated by video and print coverage of his rallies. And on Sunday, Clinton appearing weak in the heat while leaving the 9/11 Memorial drew alarmed responses about her health, building on one of Trump’s favorite attacks on her fitness for office, while his own health and comparable age have received far less scrutiny even though he has produced only a single doctor’s letter attesting to his vigor that was dashed off by a gastroenterologist in five minutes, (not to mention his diet of meatloaf and McDonald’s).

Such a double-standard wouldn’t exist with any candidate but Trump, whose persistent mendacity and eagerness to bulldoze political norms makes him both challenging for media to hold to account and endearing to supporters who are excited to see someone taking an axe to a system they no longer trust.

The post Donald Trump Says He Had Physical and Will Release Results, Says He Hopes Hillary Clinton Gets Well: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

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12-Year-Old Mexican Boy Attempts to Block Thousands of Anti-Gay Protesters

Across Mexico over the weekend, thousands of “pro-family” groups protested against same-sex marriage as the country moves toward marriage equality. In one particular march in Celaya, Guanajuato, a 12-year-old boy was photographed in the middle of the street trying to block the march of 11,000 people from moving forward.

Journalist Manuel Rodriguez captured an image that is instantly iconic.

As the publication Regeneracion noted, we’ve seen one very similar shot in Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 1989. It’s reminiscent of the “tank man” image the world knows so well.

Said Rodriguez to Generacion: “At first I thought the child was only playing.”

But Rodriguez interviewed the child later, who said, “I have an uncle who is gay and I hate the hatred.”

In Tijuana, thousands marched as well, and nationwide protests drew hundreds of thousands, the L.A. Times reports:

Thousands of opponents of same-sex marriage, including Tijuana’s new Roman Catholic archbishop, gathered for a rally in the city Saturday to protest Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto’s proposed constitutional reform favoring the right of couples to marry regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. The morning march to City Hall was one of dozens of such protests across Mexico that took place Saturday, drawing a combined hundreds of thousands of citizens. The demonstrations come on the heels of a series of legal victories scored by proponents of same-sex marriage in states across Mexico.

Same-sex marriage has been legalized in Mexico City and 9 of the nation’s 31 states. There are challenges in the 22 other states underway.

Video of the march in Celaya:

(via reddit)

The post 12-Year-Old Mexican Boy Attempts to Block Thousands of Anti-Gay Protesters appeared first on Towleroad.

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Condragulations to RuPaul for Winning His First-Ever Emmy for Best Reality TV Host: WATCH

RuPaul beat out American Idol’s Ryan Seacrest, Dancing With the Stars’ Tom Bergeron, Hollywood Game Night’s Jane Lynch, Little Big Shots’ Steve Harvey andProject Runway’s Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn to win his first ever Emmy Award for hosting RuPaul’s Drag Race. The awards were handed out over the weekend as part of the Creative Arts Emmys.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “The award, which has only been given out since 2008, has been won by Survivor host Jeff Probst four times. Lynch has won twice, and Klum and Gunn have won once.”

Said RuPaul upon accepting the award: “Earlier this year I was quoted as saying I’d rather have an enema than have an Emmy. But thanks to the Television Academy, I can have both!”

RuPaul talked to reporters backstage about what the show represents:

“I think what our show represents is the tenacity of the human spirit. The 100-plus girls who have told their story on our show have really helped so many young people around the world…these young people who now have people to help them navigate their own unique stories.”

When asked about winning the Emmy, RuPaul added:

“I really didn’t expect this. I came here thinking I got invited to the prom and I’m going to dance my ass off tonight, but i didn’t expect that I would have this in my hand when I was dancing tonight. It’s a very special night not just for me but for all of the young people around the world who dance to the beat of a different drummer.”

When congratulated on the award, RuPaul also corrected a reporter. “I think you mean, ‘conDRAGulations’,” a term that has become well-known in his drag-oriented lexicon.

He added:

“I can’t not say ‘Condragulations’ anymore. I think it’s applicable to almost anything.”

Watch:

Backstage RuPaul also talked to Yahoo!

The post Condragulations to RuPaul for Winning His First-Ever Emmy for Best Reality TV Host: WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

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Emmys Countdown: first time LGBTQ nominees from the other side of the camera

www.glaad.org/blog/emmys-countdown-first-time-lgbtq-nominees-other-side-camera

The Black Panthers and Gay Rights

As the Black Panthers turn 50, we take a look back at how queer liberation became part of their mission.

www.advocate.com/politics/2016/9/12/black-panthers-and-gay-rights

Power to the People: 50 Years of the Black Panthers (Photos)

www.advocate.com/photography/2016/9/12/power-people-50-years-black-panthers-photos